Former actor and musician David Cassidy on the Red Carpet. The New Jersey Hall of Fame and The Fifth Annual Red Carpet Induction Ceremony held at NJPAC. The 2012 inductees are Campbell, John T. Dorrance, ... more

The lawyer for David Cassidy appeared in town court Wednesday night and was granted an adjournment until April 2 for the former TV star's drunken driving case.

Cassidy faces a felony driving while intoxicated charge after his arrest last year, but his attorney, Lucas Mihuta, told the Times Union last week that a plea deal to misdemeanor DWI had been reached.

He said that his client is in rehab and therefore was not in town court Wednesday.

The former "Partridge Family" star and 1970s pop idol was charged Aug. 21 with felony driving while intoxicated on Columbia Turnpike in Schodack. He reportedly had a 0.10 percent blood alcohol content. Felony charges were lodged because Cassidy had a 2011 DWI conviction in Florida.

At the April 2 appearance, Cassidy may enter a plea and be sentenced at the same time, Mihuta said.

Misdemeanor pleas usually result in a fine, term of probation, loss of driving privileges, mandatory attendance at a drunken-driving course and participation in a victim impact panel.

In January, Cassidy was arrested a third time for drunken driving, in Los Angeles. Those charges will have no impact on Cassidy's local sentence.

More Information

Cassidy was in a joking mood when he was stopped by Schodack Police Officer Tom Jones around midnight Aug. 21. He asked the officer his name and then replied "What's new, pussycat?"

Jones, a young rookie, later said that besides having no idea what Cassidy was talking about, he did not recognize the 63-year-old, whose boyish face was on magazine covers, lunch boxes and millions of record albums before Jones was born.

The officer also was unaware that he shares a name with the Welsh pop star who had a hit with the song "What's New Pussycat?"